MovieChat Forums > Death Proof (2007) Discussion > Lack of stylistic consistency?

Lack of stylistic consistency?

posted 10 years ago by AndrewBlackie
3 replies | jump to latest

I really enjoyed the movie, and I think a lot of the issues that are taken with it (dialogue, "plot holes" etc) relate to most viewers lacking any experience of the type of grindhouse cinema the film was inspired by. However...I kind of felt Tarantino let himself down by failing to apply the visual aspect of the grindhouse style consistently throughout the film. It was employed really effectively in the first half, and at the start of the second half (that shot of abernathy smoking on the hood of the car is perfection), but I realised halfway through the chase scene that the stylistic elements seemed to have been dropped.

Did anyone else pick up on this? Or do I need to just give it a rewatch?

[–] terrytsilvester 9 years ago

I like Tarantino but Death Proof really is a terrible film. Every single character speaks exactly the same and some of the scenes are so boring and long its ridiculous.. the 15 car chase for example and the dance scene in the bar. I thought i would have liked it before seeing it but unfortunately i didn't. If the Death Proof wasn't a 'Tarantino film' no one would care for it at all.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (63057267) 9 years ago

I researched last night (for Halloween) and yeah, the film scratches and shoddy splices on parade in the first half are completely absent in the second half (after the B&W segment at the convenience store). Not sure why this is, but I'd be curious to know, and I wonder how it would have played if the print aging techniques had been prevalent throughout.

[–] Stigger 9 years ago

B-movies were known for having footage spliced together. The footage was sometimes filmed over long stretches of time (i.e. years) and possibly filmed by different directors. That's the case here as you can see the title quickly changed from Thunderbolt to Death Proof. The second half of Death Proof can be thought of as a movie within a movie - one that stars Stuntman Mike - while the first half is Stuntman Mike mimicking his on-screen performance, but in real life.